Witch of the Black Forest
by Ms. Cassandra Chant
Summary: “Be at KaibaCorp Mansion tonight at eleven o’clock. We’ll settle your ‘family honor’ problem there. Yugi would be there too. Damn. How did he keep ending up with these losers? Still, this girl was intruiging...
1. American Dream

I don't own Yugioh T_T  
  
Yes I own Toria...Because I own me ^_^  
  
Yes Toria is Wiccan...just like me. Get over it.  
  
Without further ado, here it is!  
  
* * *  
  
"Wow, an American student?" whispered Yugi to Tea as the new girl stood in front of the classroom, her hands clasped tightly in front of her school uniform. Her bright violet eyes stared back at the classroom, flaring both purple fire and cold amethyst ice. The sunlight caught her long dark black blue hair, filtering down to the silver pentacle around her neck.  
  
"Yeah," whispered Tea. "Her dad came over from San Francisco to get information from KaibaCorp. He works for Microsoft or something."  
  
The teacher gave them an icy look, slicing through the whispering, and said clearly, "This is Toria Hallowell. She's our newest student. Now Toria, why don't you have a seat next to Tea?" She winked at Tea, mentally ticking her off as her best student and a good influence. She'd heard some of these American girls got pretty wild and caused a lot of trouble. "I'm sure you two can get to know each other." Toria slid into the seat, smiling faintly at Tea. Tea was suddenly gripped by the power and personality radiating from the girl's body, a glowing aura of light and darkness blended together. But still, she felt no danger – and Tea was good at sensing danger. So, after a moment's thought, she turned to the raven-haired girl and smiled warmly.  
  
"Hi, I'm Tea Gardener."  
  
* * *  
  
Toria fit right in with the rest of the gang – it turned out that she took after her dad in the computer business, as a white rabbit hacker. Tea, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan immediately latched on to the strange new American student, inducting her into their gang by inviting her to hang out on the steps with them after school.  
  
* * *  
  
Yugi and Joey immediately flipped out Duel Monsters cards as Tea and Toria chatted about American fashion. "So denim is really in, huh Toria?" asked Tea dubiously. She fingered her fuku skirt thoughtfully. Maybe some denim fabric around the base, if she could get it to fold up for school – she looked up. Toria wasn't listening. She was bent over Joey and Yugi's duel, eyes darting back and forth across the field.  
  
"Oh no, not another one," joked Tristan, as he too noticed her intense violet eyes boring into the cards.  
  
"I play Baby Dragon in defense mode!" cried Joey, slapping down the orange tumbling dragon. Toria gave a musing smile as she watched Yugi's cards.  
  
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," she said softly, looking Joey straight in the eye. Her gaze was so cold and yet so warm, so straight and sturdy and unnerving, that Joey barely blinked, trying to register what had just happened. Suddenly he dashed back to look at his duel.  
  
"Oh NO!" he yelped suddenly, clutching at hanks of his thick blonde hair. "Yugi's two monsters can wipe me out!" Yugi called the attack.  
  
"Celtic Guardian, attack his Baby Dragon!" Joey yowled in frustration as his life points fell to zero.  
  
"Wow, you know how to duel too?" asked Tristan.  
  
"Yeah," smiled Toria. "American monsters are a little different, but the basic idea is the same."  
  
"What's your favorite card?" asked Yugi with interest, reshuffling his deck.  
  
She gave an uncharacteristic giggle, reaching for the loose silver scarf at her waist. She pulled a card from a hidden pocket in the scarf and elegantly flipped it face forward to the group.  
  
"It's rather ironic. My favorite card is the Witch of the Black Forest." It was true – the faces did seem awfully similar. The eyes both flared purple fire. She struck the same pose as the witch on the card, in profile, and Tea suddenly saw a faintly glowing image of a tawny feather in her hair and a green jewel on her forehead. But when she blinked again, it was gone, leaving the ordinary, if extraordinary, girl before them.  
  
"Oh, dat card," said Joey in recognition. "I've seen dat card before somewhere."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Tristan. "Where have we seen it?"  
  
"I know where it is," said Yugi darkly. "Kaiba's got a card like that."  
  
"Kaiba? Who's Kaiba? As in KaibaCorp Kaiba?" asked Toria, her violet eyes darkening under her eyebrows.  
  
A husky, dark voice sounded from behind them.  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself."  
  
* * *  
  
Warning: This is going to be a story with actual dueling!!! Not that I'm a rockin' duelist, but I try XD  
  
Anyway...R&R, Chapter 2 coming soon... 


	2. Dueling Witch

The gang spun around. There, illuminated by the setting sun, was the tall, shadowy figure of Seto Kaiba, his long trench coat rippling ominously in the wind. His silver briefcase flashed in the last light of day, and he glared at the group with his icy blue eyes through his long dark bangs.  
  
"I see you've got a new geek for the loser squad." He nodded at Toria, enjoying the smoldering burn of her gaze. Anger, bravado, hatred – he relished in it.  
  
"What's it to ya, Kaiba?" snapped Joey, fists up. He was constantly looking for an excuse to deck Kaiba right in the jaw. His hands clenched, Kaiba snorted.  
  
"Nothing. It just might influence my choice to give technology to that fool father of hers..." He trailed off coldly, meeting Toria's eyes. He watched with interest as her eyes caught flame, burning into his icy retinas. They say eyes are the windows of the soul, he mused to himself, so what do her eyes say? Fire, he thought, fire and ice, darkness and light. Then he mentally cursed himself. He didn't believe in mumbo-jumbo. He'd been spending too much time listening to this ancient Egyptian junk and prophecies. Or was it simply that she reminded him of someone? A sudden mental flash came, of gold, Egyptian sands and the faint smell of – cats? These had been happening more and more – but it was nothing. Mokuba made him watch too many old Mummy reruns, that was all.  
  
"Hey, you stay away from my family!" she shouted, her American accent stronger than before, struggling to stand up as everyone held her back. Tristan, who could hold back Joey with ease, found himself hard pressed to keep the American girl from diving at Kaiba. She was strong, there was no doubt there.  
  
"Try and keep the kitten's claws under control," growled Kaiba at Tristan. She took a deep breath to regain her composure, and then got to her feet. She stood tall, swatting away Tristan's, Joey's, and Yugi's reaching hands. The three boys tumbled backward onto the step.  
  
"I can fight my own battles." Tea noticed her hand automatically went to the Witch of the Black Forest card concealed in her scarf. She turned towards Kaiba, and marched right up to him, as though preparing to wage in combat. Although she was only five feet tall, and he was six feet and seven, she seemed to tower as tall as he did, as she looked him straight in the eye.  
  
"Watch your mouth about my father."  
  
Her voice fell like a knell, heavy and cold, as hard and husky as Kaiba's. Tea's eyes flicked back and forth between the two. Now that she looked closer, she saw that they were very alike. Toria's dreamy quality was gone, replaced by the ice cold, harsh reality, and her eyes had gone as stony as marble.  
  
"Fiery, aren't you?" remarked Kaiba, raising a white finger to lift her chin. He watched her eyes flicker with pride at the word 'fiery.' "Foolish. Fire and bravery get in the way of success." He pulled his hand away quickly, half-slapping her across the face. The boys on the steps were ready to take him apart, it seemed, as Joey and Tristan were both flexing their muscles and clenching fists, and Yugi was clutching his Millennium puzzle. Tea swept one restricting arm across the group and gave them a warning look. This was between Toria and Kaiba, and it was best to stay out of it, even if she was their new friend. Neither Toria nor Kaiba, it seemed, liked interference. But Joey, who had flunked both meaning looks and body language 101 said raucously:  
  
"What are ya doin' on this side of town anyway? Shouldn't ya be blowin' up little card shops or stealin' old folks' homes?"  
  
His words broke the spell of silence, and Kaiba turned contemptuously to Joey.  
  
"I'm back from a business deal and thought I would talk a walk home." He flipped open his silver briefcase and revealed the contents: shining rows of rare Duel Monster cards, and his patented DuelDisc system.  
  
"Bandai is interested in selling DuelDiscs to the public." He snapped the case shut, closing the silver latches with a loud snap. "Not that it's any of your business."  
  
He returned his gaze to Toria, who was still in her battle stance.  
  
"I see you fit right in here, with the twerp crowd...Just like your fool father and Microsoft." He whispered the last words, letting their soft touch explode into her mind.  
  
"That's it Kaiba! You don't insult my father. We have something in America called family honor. Duel me for it, you worthless pig." She reached for her scarf and pulled out her complete deck, ready to, as Tristan later commented, 'to kick his butt right there on the school steps.'  
  
"Brutality does not become you, Toria," he hissed, watching her long fingers flex around her deck. "We should do this properly." He glanced at the other four, who were seated with baited breath.  
  
"Be at KaibaCorp Mansion tonight at eleven o'clock. We'll settle your 'family honor' problem there." He knew that Yugi and the cheerleaders would be there, too. Damn it. How did he keep getting wound up with these stupid losers? Still, this girl was...intriguing. Not that he found her cute or was sweet on her, nothing stupid like that. He didn't let himself love anyone...well, maybe Mokuba. But he wanted to study her. There was something strange about this girl Toria Hallowell...And he intended to find out what it was.  
  
* * *  
  
Ok folks, that's Chapter 2!!! Yay! So, more coming, stick around... 


	3. True Identity

* * *  
  
Ok, here is chapter 3!!! A little bit more information on Toria and her smoky past...  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh, that Kaiba!" ranted Toria as she changed out of her uniform. Tea absentmindedly lay on the bed, flipping through American fashion magazines. The girls had got permission for a sleepover – thankfully. As bold as Toria was, she didn't feel up to searching the streets of Japan for Kaiba's mansion alone. She pulled her violet top on over her bra, slipping her arms into her flared angel sleeves.  
  
"Kaiba has never been what you call friendly," said Tea. "Mind you, he's not all bad. His little brother Mokuba is just adorable." She flounced off the bed, turning away from the searing glare of Toria's eyes.  
  
"I'm going to beat this guy. Don't tell me how sweet his kid brother is." She strapped on a single black silk glove, dangling with a silver charm bracelet. The charms glinted in the light. She noticed Tea's interested glance.  
  
"This is my duelist glove. In America, you wear a charm bracelet with a charm for each duelist you've defeated. Different colored gloves are awarded for different tournaments." She gently tapped each charm for luck.  
  
"Which tournament did you win the black glove for?" asked Tea, vividly remembering Joey's and Yugi's Duelist Kingdom gloves and star chips. Each star chip was a defeated duelist...with ten to qualify entry to the castle. She looked at the charms. Each was sparkling red stone, accented with silver. There were over one hundred small red charms.  
  
"Well, this isn't a widely known fact..." Toria blushed, regaining a portion of her dreamy composure, "But my real name, before I was adopted by my father Leo Hallowell, was Cassandra Shinatashi."  
  
Cassandra Shinatashi! Tea's mind burst into bright rainbow stars of memory, of watching Cassandra on television, of reading articles of Cassandra, even seeing her pose on the cover of Duelist Elite Magazine. It was amazing that she hadn't recognized her, but as she looked closer she saw the telltale signs of someone who understood the limelight – the toss of her head, the proud stance.  
  
"Then you won that for..." she trailed off, recalling the duel she had seen on television – and the winning move made with the Witch of the Black Forest.  
  
"Yes," announced Toria proudly, "I won this glove for the United States Nationals Black Glove Tournament."  
  
"How did you get into Duel Monsters?" asked Tea, watching her new friend expertly shifting the smooth cards into the reticule hung at her waist.  
  
"Well, my mom and dad were white-collar crime, and when I was eight I was put into foster care." She placed three cards down on the bed, a Just Desserts trap card, a Princess of Tsurgi, and the Witch of the Black Forest.  
  
"Mom and Dad got put away for embezzling money from the government. It was really just evading taxes, but they got locked up. They were in the news forever, it was so embarrassing. Lillith Shinatashi and her husband Cole Shinatashi." She pushed the trap card and Princess of Tsurgi away under her pillow. Then she presented the Witch forward again.  
  
"So I was shuffled around to different foster homes until I met dad." She placed the card into the center of her deck, shuffling it and then pulling out two cards from the top – the Witch and the Reliable Guardian.  
  
"So dad and I have been together for only three years now, and we only moved to Japan three weeks ago." She took the storytelling cards and placed them back into the center of her deck. "He's really turned my life around. I got interested in Duel Monsters from one of my foster brothers – and begged the 'girly' cards off him he didn't want. He never thought I would be Cassandra Shinatashi, Duelist Elite."  
  
"I've had a lot of families, and it isn't until dad that I knew what a family really was." She clenched her fist, her violet eyes as bright as twin lamps.  
  
"And that's why Kaiba won't get away with insulting my father."  
  
* * *  
  
Ok, chapter 4 coming soon, keep a look out...R&R! 


	4. Secrets

* * *  
  
Chapter 4 comin' atcha, getting to the mansion...and maybe finding out some of Tea's secrets! So read and bow in awe to...THE GLORY OF CHAPTER 4!  
  
* * *  
  
The two girls walked down the lamp lit streets of the city, aiming towards the huge estate crowned with a gray and white marble mansion, visible even in the darkness of late night. The moon rose on the horizon, full and as pale as snow, casting a soft glow above the harsh yellow tones of the city lights. Toria breathed the moonlight in deeply, filling herself with its glowing power. She was definitely ready for a duel...if she didn't duel every few weeks she became irritated. The jingling chink of her red charms emboldened her. This would be a success all right, and he would pay for what he had said about her father.  
  
She thought of Kaiba, his tall, arrogant stance, his rippling coat, his thick, sleek hair, and icy blue eyes, so beautiful...She shook the thought from her head. This man – this boy – he was her enemy. She had to duel him, for the honor of her family...And she would never let her father down. She let herself reminisce of the day she had met her father, her real father, Leo Hallowell...  
  
...The sounds of screaming kids, wailing babies, and bouncing basketballs sounded from the foster home. Foursquare balls, cheap imitation Barbies, and blocks flew across the room, narrowly missing the head of a tall, if goofy-looking man. But, however large his nose was, or however messy his hair, he bounced the ball back, with a shout of: "Here you go, Shaq!" He gave the Barbie back to the little girl who was whimpering by his feet, and stopped for a few seconds to play 'smash and build' with the toddler and his blocks. He may not have been very pretty to look at, but he was kind.  
  
I was playing Duel Monsters with my foster brother Kyle in a corner. He was trying to figure out the best way to beat my Destiny Board combo when I saw him watching over my shoulder. I was only fourteen then, barely a teenager. But I was surprised. It was never the teenagers who got adopted – it was always the little ones. Past eight years old and you knew you were never going to be adopted. I had gone into the system at eight, and knew that I would never have a family. I would forever be a latch-key kid. But when I saw his smiling face and heard him say, "You're Cassandra, right?" I knew he was my father...  
  
She snapped back from the flashback as Tea stopped walking. Toria looked around. They were in front of a small card shop, lit up in the late night hours. Yugi, Tristan, and Joey dashed out the door, breathless and panting.  
  
"What, did you rob the place?" asked Toria, wondering why a card shop would be open at eleven at night.  
  
"No," laughed Yugi. "My grandpa owns the store. We live on top of it." He straightened his Millennium puzzle. "We're here to cheer you on, Toria." She blinked at this idea. She hadn't thought anyone would back her up, but then – Yugi was a good friend.  
  
"An' make sure Kaiba doesn't pull anythin'," snarled Joey. "Dis is gonna be a fair duel, no ifs, ands, or buts."  
  
"I don't know guys," interrupted Tristan. "In all the time we've seen Kaiba duel, he's never cheated. Except that one time on the castle, but that was for his brother." He trotted forward to match his pace with theirs as all five of them began walking down the road.  
  
"There's a first time for everythin'," muttered Joey.  
  
"So what is it about Kaiba anyway?" asked Toria. "I mean, besides what he said about my father. Why do you guys all have issues with him?"  
  
Tristan and Tea both respond at once: "I don't have issues with him."  
  
Yugi gave a slight snort. "I don't really have...issues with him. Just my...other half, you might say." Toria raised an eyebrow. If he didn't feel like explaining, that was fine. It would come out sooner or later. Toria turned to Joey.  
  
"I have issues with dat Kaiba," he scowled. "If I hear one more puppy dog crack, I think I'll hafta..." He waved a fist threateningly.  
  
Tristan snorted. "Or maybe the dueling monkey joke..." He ducked as Joey stampeded after him. Tea and Yugi stifled giggles. Even Toria felt a small chuckle rise in her throat. She wasn't very good at making friends. Someone – a shrink, she thought – had told her it was because her personality was too – she mentally eye-rolled at the word – paradoxical. She was sweet, misty, and unassuming...but at the least moment fiery passion could envelope her mind, body and soul, leaving her friends shocked that the girl they had forever known was what they thought was a lie.  
  
Toria took this opportunity to slacken her pace to match Tea's, letting the boys rough house further up the sidewalk.  
  
"So tell me...Are the girls here that awful, that you hang out with these guys?" she joked, thumbing a finger at Tristan, who was trying to imitate a dueling monkey while being chased by an extraordinarily angry Joey.  
  
Tea blushed, her eyes flicking towards the smaller blonde boy who was laughing, his purple eyes winking with innocence.  
  
"Well..." she paused, unsure of how to explain this. She had a crush on Yugi, yes, but what about Yami, who she felt like she had known since before time? Still though, Toria had been open and frank with her about her painful past, maybe it was time to give back a little of that faith.  
  
So with a deep breath, a glance to make sure the nutty boys were out of earshot, and a long stream of gabbled words, Tea poured Toria the whole story.  
  
* * *  
  
Ok, I lied. Tea tells a few secrets next time...or whenever they come up, who knows :) Preview of next chapter: After being let into the Kaiba mansion, the duel commences...but for stakes higher than either Toria or Kaiba could have anticipated...  
  
* * * 


	5. Whispering Voices

* * *  
  
Chapter 5...hopefully we'll get some real dueling...I keep trying to work it in, but...I keep putting in juicy secret tidbits instead. I may skip the duel and go straight to the aftermath...So we'll see.  
  
* * *  
  
"...And now I don't know what to do, about Yami, Yugi, or even about...anything. I used to think a schoolgirl crush was all I had on Yugi, but now I'm not sure if it's something more or if I'm getting confused with what I feel for Yami," finished Tea in an undertone. She watched Toria's reaction. Where people in white coats going to zoom down the street for her? Was Toria going to laugh? But to her surprise, Toria simply nodded matter-of-factly.  
  
"Yes, I've studied Egyptian magic...not extensively, mind you, just the basics they include in Wiccan studies. His 'Yami' is almost like a ghost...he needs fulfillment before he can...move on."  
  
"Move on?" asked Tea, her voice wobbling. "You mean, leave?"  
  
"Of course, as he is bonded to the puzzle it could be an entirely different matter. And your Yami-Yugi conflict is...interesting." She quickly steered out of stormy waters. Apparently no one had ever thought that Yami might leave when his mission of saving the world was over. But if he didn't leave, what would he do? Become an ordinary guy? Rule Egypt as their lost Pharaoh? Or just stay locked in the puzzle for eternity? None of these ideas seemed plausible. She decided it was better to soothe Tea's love life instead. The poor girl was obviously mixed up.  
  
Still, conceded a small voice in her mind, you're mixed up too. This Kaiba...do you really want to fight him?  
  
Yes, she snarled at it. He insulted my father. He's got to pay.  
  
Pay? whispered the voice. With what? A lovely framed picture for your desk to gaze at?  
  
I barely know him, she snapped. You are totally out of line. She gritted her teeth, speaking to the lilting voice in her head. He's my enemy.  
  
Fine, fine, whispered the voice in her ear. See if you still feel like that when you see his face again...It faded away with a cooing hiss: Whatever you say, dear...  
  
Toria shook her head, her sheets of raven hair smoothly flowing past each other like water. She didn't like Kaiba at all. She hated him...for what he said about her father. Her father, the man who had saved her soul.  
  
"What're'ya talkin' about back there?" called Joey, tossing his blonde moppy head back to the girls. Both Tea and Toria instantly blushed – fortunately, the darkness of the night sky hid their glowing faces from view. But as they continued down the road, the soft stillness of the night was lit with a bright golden glow from the huge mansion down the end which reared from the earth like a god.  
  
There, spread across velvet sheets of lawn and smooth, geometric gardens, past a long, straight cobblestoned front walk, and bordered by stark, Spartan hedges, trimmed perfectly square, sprawled Kaiba's gigantic gray mansion, looking more like a temple than a house, complete with granite pillars and silent fountains.  
  
Toria gave a silent gasp at the overwhelming, heavy size of the Kaiba Estate, awed as the group arrived at the iron gate. A security system glowed a soft, technology green light, words flashing quickly across the screen.  
  
//Please enter numeral code//  
  
Joey gave a groan and slammed his fist into the gatepost.  
  
"Dat Kaiba never gave us da stupid code!" Tristan and Toria were examining the security system module, the buttons beeping a light musical tune. "Well, dat big old faker, he was never gonna duel ya, Tor. Dis is all a big joke to get us out here in da middle of da night."  
  
Tea gave a giggle and pointed to where Toria and Tristan were proudly displaying the module. It now flashed:  
  
//Thank you for entering your code. Press the # key.//  
  
"Even if we didn't have a master hacker on board, Joey, Kaiba left us the code." Yugi pried a scrap of paper out from under the module. In Kaiba's stately, half-angry doctor's scrawl was the code, along with:  
  
Meet my butler Roland in the front hall, he'll give you instructions from there.  
  
Joey grumbled while Tristan jabbed the # key. The gates slid open like elevator doors, allowing them entrance to the huge mansion. They admired the walkway as they headed towards the door. Each had different impressions.  
  
Tea's main thought was: 'Wow, I wonder how much he pays the gardeners?' Tristan wanted to know just how much fertilizer this guy had shipped in. Joey harrumphed at Kaiba's latest way to show off. Yugi was curious as to whether he had a garden dedicated to his Blues Eyes White Dragon. Toria didn't see any of it. Her eyes were trained on the Windsor door, where she knew her fate would really begin.  
  
And it was Toria that led the way as she strode up to the door, as fearless as the day she was born, and hammered on Kaiba's door – every inch of her shouting, "I mean business, Kaiba."  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: AND THAT, LADIES AND GENTS, was chapter 5. Heehee, making you wait for the romance, aren't I? I'm just as eager as you, trust me – but it might be a bit. Maybe Chapter 8. But still, R&R...You might even get a little peek inside Kaiba's thoughts on this fierce girl. 


	6. Enemies

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Chapter 6 is HERE! I wrote this to the song 'You Can't Take Me' on the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron soundtrack...if you've ever heard that song, that sums up Toria's personality in one go...or at least her fire side. I wrote for a nice hour on this, so you better like it...well, half hour, Yugioh came on at 4:30 ^_^  
  
* * *  
  
The door opened slowly, revealing a middle-aged man in a dark suit. Rattling her duelist charm bracelet gently, Toria took control. She entered the hall, her eyes burning purple fire. She turned her dagger eyes on the man.  
  
"Are you Roland?" she demanded, sounding as stiff and tall as a general in the army.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. I'll take you to the arena, ma'am." Roland was a little intimidated by this girl, however small she was and however many executives he had seen. Master Kaiba sure can pick 'em, he thought to himself, rather alarmed at the fierce attitude she displayed. He was also relieved to find that the other four kids seemed fairly normal, even if they were friends with this young Amazonian warrior. He quickly turned, leading them through the foyer and down a long hall, down a flight of stairs, and deep underground.  
  
Toria stood as straight as a soldier. Every under anticipated a girl duelist, and a young girl duelist particularly. Over time, she had managed to tell people she wasn't kidding around. This developed into the 'war mask': flat, fiery burning eyes, a thin mouth, her jaw jammed forward in a fighter's position. She was going to win this duel. Now that she was in, she didn't back out, or live life with regrets. It was the way she was. It was not only her father's honor at stake now. It was her own honor, her owner as a duelist, as an American, as a witch, and most importantly, as a woman. How would it look if she curled up and cried, begging for forgiveness as she chickened out? No. She would win. Her personality, her soul, and her spirit demanded she would.  
  
Roland reached for a key in his pocket, inserting it into a large set of double doors at the end of the staircase. As the key was inserted, the home security module blinked its message again, waiting for the entry code. The tones played, and Roland turned the key. With a hiss of air the door slid open, revealing a stark white dueling arena.  
  
The rest of the group gasped as they crossed the threshold, seeing the large white dueling podiums and blue field, an unlit and dark grid. Tea's eyes flicked towards the control panel in a high loft, seeing Mokuba wink down through the panels of thick glass. Roland ushered the other kids off the field.  
  
"Come on, you four, into the spectator stands, up with the control board." He motioned them towards a metal staircase. "You can see everything from up there." Joey stampeded (has anyone noticed he stampedes a lot? ^_^) up the steps, flinging open the door. He didn't want to miss a second of this. But Tea hesitated. She didn't want to leave Toria down there all alone – she would have been terrified. But with a long gaze at Toria's fire-hardened face, she continued up the steps. Toria wasn't like her – she was fearless. Studying the angle of her face slightly, she saw a familiar glimpse of a face she had seen before. Or maybe she simply resembled someone? Yami, maybe?  
  
As the gang stuck their heads in the doorway to the loft, Mokuba abruptly finished typing and smiled at them past his headset.  
  
"Hey guys! Have a seat." He gave a friendly wave and gestured towards a set of white leather chairs by the window. "You'll be able to hear and see everything from both the windows and these plasma screen computer cameras. I just need to reroute the sound bytes and adjust the base tone." He went back to tapping instructions into the computer, muttering commands to himself.  
  
"All set!" he said gleefully, reaching for the microphone set.  
  
* * *  
  
Kaiba shifted through his deck, checking over his cards to make sure every one he needed was there. His three Blues Eyes, his Polymerization, Rude Kaiser, Crush card...He was ready. Packing his deck safely into his duelist belt, he checked his profile in the mirrored wall of the dueling prep room. He ran a long hand through his thick brown hair, watching it cover his eyes critically. A voice whispered quietly behind his mind:  
  
Why look good? This is a duel like any other. Kaiba snarled at himself, glaring at the reflection. He didn't need to look like anything. He would look great winning. That was the difference. Winners always look better than losers.  
  
Even if she does lose, she'll still look good, hissed the voice. He paused for a moment, savoring her image in his mind's eye: her thick, dark hair, as tousled as a horse's mane, and her deep fiery eyes. He had scorned her fire that afternoon, sure, but he admitted it – he admired that about her. He didn't admire anything else, he told himself sternly; it was just that she was different from the other Japanese girls. They were all so pale and flimsy, a seen-and-not-heard concept that disgusted him. That was why he remembered her so well. And because he was going to beat her – in the next few minutes. He gave his hair another shake in an attempt for it to look life something – but gave up. It hung as it always had – the way it wanted to. He gritted his teeth and blocked out the image of the glaring girl, however...attractive. He focused his eyes on winning, as he always did. He couldn't think about her. She was another faceless opponent. She was his enemy.  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: Inching towards romance, maybe??? Not going to tell!!! Wait for chapter 7, people, might go up tomorrow, I try to do two sections a day...So have fun pining away!!! BWAHAAHAHHAHAHA! *coughs* *smiles sweetly* I mean, R&R plz!!! 


	7. Dragon vs Witch

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Now we are going to duel...I promise!!! Kaiba and Toria just had mental quirks to run through...*twitches* Ok then, this chapter will have: a duel, high stakes, a victor, a loser, and...*dun-Dun-DUN* someone's honor gets 'busted up' (whoo, words of the Twigz!). Heehee, didn't think I would tell you everything, did you???  
  
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The group in the control panel loft scanned the white tiles, hunting for a glimpse of Toria's adversary. As he strolled into the arena, his footsteps even and deliberate, and his white trench coat billowing in his wake, Mokuba grabbed the microphone and flicked the switch.  
  
"Seto Kaiba versus Toria Hallowell, dated May 27th of 2004, duelist titles of Blue Eyes White Dragon and Witch of the Black Forest." His words flashed across the screen after his dictation – his announcement was purely for record keeping. "Please take your positions at the podium."  
  
"Why aren't they using DuelDiscs?" asked Tristan, noting the change.  
  
"DuelDiscs are best used for impromptu duels. The duel arena has its own set of records. Seto is working on putting this new feature into his DuelDisc system next," answered Mokuba. "Besides, DuelDiscs haven't been released to Americans, and Seto wanted her to have a fair chance." He didn't catch Joey's muttering of, "Now there's a surprise."  
  
Toria mounted the stairs to the podium, her back straight, her gait every inch that of royal majesty. Kaiba's eyes flicked to her tall stance. She had class, he would admit that at least. As small as she was, even going up against the second best (he gritted his teeth at the phrase 'second-best') duelist in the world, and still she was proud. There was not even a flicker of fear in her face. She slapped her deck down on the deck recognizer touchscreen – Kaiba followed suit.  
  
She glared at him. "I'm here to avenge what you said about my father – and about me. If I win, I want you to take it back – and an apology."  
  
Kaiba gave a muffled snort. What a simple request! Hardly worth dueling for. But still – why not? And then, suddenly, he had a better idea. He would teach this upstart. He cast his mind for the most demeaning task her could muster.  
  
Casually, he replied: "Such small stakes. I work better when something bigger is on the line."  
  
She shot purple fire at him – most would have melted under her eternal gaze.  
  
"My father's honor is nothing small, Kaiba." "I merely suggested we make this more interesting. If you win, your father gets his technology from KaibaCorp – for free." Toria held her breath. If Dad managed to get the technology trade, for free – he'd get promoted, she thought. But there had to be a catch.  
  
"And what if I lose?" she asked carefully, spacing her words evenly with deliberation.  
  
"So little faith in yourself, Hallowell." At another glare from her, he continued. "My live-in maid is taking a vacation from work, and her replacement won't arrive until three days after her departure." He shot her a vintage icy Kaiba glare back. Two could play at that game.  
  
"Get to the point, Kaiba!" roared Joey, as Tristan and Yugi held him back. (A/N: Joey is very...um, aggressive not only because he dislikes Kaiba but because he o'ded on lattes ^_^ He would normally kick it down a notch.)  
  
"If I win, Toria Hallowell, you'll take her place for three days as my live- in maid." Everyone in the control panel loft held their breath as silence ensued for a full minute. What could be worse than cleaning the victor's toilet, making his bed, or scrubbing his floors? It was beyond shameful. It was humiliating.  
  
Toria's mind switched back and forth between success and failure. If her father made the job, he would be so happy. He had been angling at that job for a full three months, without success. And the money would help a lot too...their temporary apartment they had moved into was a small as a matchbox.  
  
But then again...losing would mean the worst disgrace ever. Living I Kaiba's house for three days, while he tried to break her spirit? Make her into an obedient, shy, shuffling Japanese lady? Ridiculed day and night? Never.  
  
But she never backed away from a challenge.  
  
"All right, Kaiba, I accept your challenge."  
  
In unison, they venomously spat at each other: "Let's duel!"  
  
* * *  
  
The duel raged on for hours, and it wasn't until nearly three in the morning when the end seemed in sight. Each player was down to 700 life points, and breathing heavily. They were evenly matched. They both knew that this next move would make or break the duel for his or her opponent.  
  
Kaiba looked over his hand, mentally naming the five cards he held. Saggi the Dark Clown, Red Medicine, Rude Kaiser, Blues Eyes White Dragon, and a Crush card. His face betrayed nothing, but inwardly he smirked. He knew he had won the duel. He had everything he needed right there. "I play Red Medicine, increasing my life points to 1,200, place this card on the field, and then summon Saggi the Dark Clown in attack mode. I end my turn."  
  
Toria's eyes flicked to the creepy clown adorning the glowing grid. Saggi? Was that all he had? His attack points were pathetic. Only 1200/800. Still though...she wanted this finished, here and now.  
  
She had a monster on the field – The All-Seeing White Tiger, 1300/500. Her deck resources were becoming low – perhaps this was why Kaiba had put a weak monster out to guard his life points. Mayhap he was running out as well. She glanced at her hand. She still had Witch of the Black Forest. She could use her special affect to bring forth her Gemini Elf, her strongest monster. It was her trademark move – Witch of the Black Forest heralds the Gemini Elf. And even if Kaiba did attack her Witch (as she wanted him to, to activate the affect) she would still have 100 life points. Just enough to blow Kaiba back to where he belonged.  
  
She summoned Witch of the Black Forest in attack mode, face up. There was a swirl of white and purple sparks as her Witch came into being, beautiful and slender, the dark purple-black raven hair matching her own. Both she and the Witch gave proud shakes of their heads in unison. Everyone in the control panel, including Kaiba himself, gaped at the resemblance between the two – and how in-tune Toria was with her Witch. They even seemed to be breathing together, their breasts rising and falling rhythmically.  
  
But her plan was not yet done.  
  
With a single word of power, she sent her All-Seeing White Tiger barreling towards the Clown. As the golden claws flew forward to slice open the Clown, Kaiba made his trademark move:  
  
"I activate Crush Card!"  
  
"No! White Tiger!" screamed Toria, but it was too late. Saggi was dead, leaving Kaiba with 1100 life points, and her White Tiger – was now infected. All of her monsters in her deck over 1200 attack where useless. Gemini Elf would be useless when summoned. She and her Witch were at the mercy of Seto Kaiba. But she would not bow her head in submission. Even as her life points drained to zero, she and her Witch gave unison tosses of their hair.  
  
Kaiba watched her strong face, unafraid, even as she faced certain defeat. He felt a surge of something in his chest he rarely felt – admiration. But a deal was a deal. He drew a card from the top of his deck. Perfect. Battle ox. He slapped his Battle Ox and Rude Kaiser down on his panel.  
  
"I sacrifice these two monsters to bring forth the awesome BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!"  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Tea, watching the huge white dragon bloom on the field, his blue eyes howling with rage, his roar shaking the very arena. Even the boys, used to seeing the humongous dragon, gulped. Yugi shook his head sadly. He knew it was all over too.  
  
"Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack her Witch of the Black Forest!" he cried, sending his finger of fate pointing at the dark-haired girl monster on the field. "White Lightening Attack!" Toria closed her eyes shut tightly, in order not to see the defeat of her Witch. It was like watching someone destroy her very soul. But even if she did not see the white blast of light annihilate her Witch, she felt it. As the attack hit, she shuddered and let out a sharp gasp, clutching her side. It felt as though a sword wound, long and razor-sharp, had penetrated her skin. And as Kaiba saw her keel slightly with pain, he winced in shame. To kill a duelist's favorite card is anguish, and he was almost sorry to have committed such a crime. But it was a duel, and he would win at any cost.  
  
Yami stirred deep within Yugi, watching this. Both he and Tea had the same thought: although seeing a favorite card obliterated was pain, it was not this painful. Was Toria closer to the Witch of the Black Forest than she thought? But it was most painful to see her expression as the Witch called out in a wordless cry to her mistress.  
  
As her Witch screamed a final farewell, she whispered quietly, "Goodbye, my Witch of the Black Forest. Goodbye, my heart." Her life points rapidly slid to zero.  
  
And Toria, Black Glove Duelist Elite, was defeated.  
  
But whatever dignity she had left, she was going to keep. She did not cry. She did not stumble or fall. She unlatched the arena gate, her head held as haughtily as before – but the fire in her eyes was gone. They were dark with the pain of losing her Witch. Tea, Yugi, Tristan, and Joey rushed down the stairs to support her. The duel and the loss of her Witch had drained her heavily. As much as she tried to stand to fight again, her energy was gone. She leaned heavily on Tristan and Joey, while still attempting to stand on her own.  
  
"I – I don't need help. I can walk."  
  
"No, ya can't," said Joey firmly, draping one of her arms over his shoulder. "Come on, we'll call a cab an' get ya back home." He glared at Kaiba as he retreated from the podium. Tea looked back at him, wondering why his face seemed slightly different. Was it softer, perhaps? Touched faintly with concern? But she must have imagined, for the whatever was there was gone, and his cold, husky voice rang through the room like a knell:  
  
"Don't forget, Hallowell, be here this morning at seven sharp to begin your three days as my live-in maid."  
  
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A/N: Whew! That was a very special supersize, people, the reviews were very heartening ^_^ Didn't want to leave you hanging on the outcome of the duel...Anyway, there should be an even better dosage in chapter 8, so stick around and R&R ^_^ 


	8. Aftermath

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Now here is chapter 8...Hope y'all liked Chapter 7!!! So poor Toria lost her duel, saw her Witch destroyed, and has to spend three days as Kaiba's live- in MAID. How sucky is that? Quite. The first day of Maid-dom, coming right up! Also, loved the reviews, thanx!  
  
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Toria's hands shook from exertion and exhaustion as she rolled into the lower bunk of her bed. The long night had been awful. Her Witch gone, her father's chance at a promotion, and – or at least it would be tomorrow – her dignity, gone. She clumsily switched the alarm to 'on' on her clock. If she was going to be at Kaiba's for seven, she would need to be up at five. That was only in two hours. She pressed her weary head into the pillow, listening to Tea breathe in the top bunk.  
  
"Toria?" whispered Tea quietly. Her heart ached with pity at her new friend's defeat. "Want to talk about it?" By 'it' she naturally meant the loss of her Witch, and also of her new, hideous fate that would be touched by golden morning light.  
  
Without hesitation, with her usual openness, she remarked in her dreamy, half-asleep voice:  
  
"I've never seen my Witch destroyed before. Never. At least, not in cold blood like that. Or do I exaggerate? She is always sent to the graveyard, to summon Gemini Elf. But I know she always comes back. For her sake, I always use my Monster Reborn – just for her. But this time – she wasn't coming back. It felt like...the end." She paused, the still darkness swirling in front of her face, pressing in on her eyes. "And it was the end."  
  
"That Kaiba," admonished Tea, "He shouldn't have hurt your Witch. Not like that. And being his maid! How will you stand it?"  
  
"I will bear as I have always done...with pride and strength. Where it not for my promise, I would not go. But I promised – had I won, I am sure Kaiba would have given my father the technology. Besides, I still have my honor to uphold. And...it is only for three days."  
  
"And two nights," Tea reminded her, trying to imagine Toria washing Kaiba's dishes. It wasn't easy. "What will you tell your dad? He'd never let you go over to a seventeen-year-old boy's house for three days."  
  
"School retreat," answered Toria simply. "My father is very gullible, to be honest. He'd believe me if I said I was traveling to the bottom of the sea."  
  
"My parents don't believe anything I say," she replied ruefully. "I usually need evidence and a lawyer before I'm allowed to step out the front door." Both girls giggled quietly.  
  
"Look, I'd better go to sleep. I've got to get up soon and..." She grimaced. "Go clean Kaiba's coffee machine or something."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, okay. But listen, if we don't hear from you every night, we'll think Kaiba's locked you in a room with mops or something. So call, all right?"  
  
"Yes, Tea, of course. I'll be fine."  
  
And without another word, the two girls almost magically and instantly drifted to sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Kaiba was not the sort of boy who needed sleep. He often went without sleep for 48 hours, and even then only slept very little. He brewed a fresh vat of his extra strength black coffee and slumped into his rotating CEO chair in his study. The duel had been draining, however late. It had been a struggle keeping up – it was certainly not an easy duel. That Hallowell girl was definitely a good duelist, possibly even one of he best, if she could run with him.  
  
Having second thoughts, are we? said a voice on the depths of his mind. Ever since Kaiba had taken over KaibaCorp, there was a small voice in his head that argued his every principal and decision. His tutors had taught him to always question a problem from every angle, and now he did this without thinking, like a reflex. Mentally debating with himself was an almost constant pastime.  
  
No, he snapped. I play to win, and I won. There is nothing wrong with what I did.  
  
They had to help her to a cab, you know, it whispered. She was shaking too hard to walk.  
  
It's not my fault if she's weak, he snarled. I did what I had to do, and she'll be making up for her rashness in...He checked his watch – three hours.  
  
But you know she's not weak, it coaxed. She's stronger than any girl you've ever seen. Even Yugi is exhausted after a hard duel with you. The fact she wasn't passed out afterwards shows she has more strength than you would have thought.  
  
What's your point? He replied coldly. I don't care anything about her. She's just another faceless loser.  
  
Then why is she coming to stay at your mansion for the next three days? Why did you not kick her out onto the street, send her home in disgrace? To be closer to her? To spend more time with her, to keep her in your house? Your hidden agendas are not so hidden, Seto Kaiba.  
  
You're wrong, he growled.  
  
With a glower, he rose from his chair and angrily poured himself another coffee, draining it. He pressed the button on the intercom module and spoke into it.  
  
"Roland, report to my study immediately. We need to discuss arrangements for our new...guest."  
  
* * *  
  
The alarm sounded far too early for Toria's liking, when the sunlight was just starting to creep over the Domino City rooftops. She still felt weak, as though she was a newly born kitten. But in her years with her parents and the foster system, she had taught herself to ignore weakness and pain. She rose to her feet and steadied herself with the base of the top bunk. Watching the skyline, faintly painted with peach and gold, she realized that only a month ago her life had been normal – living in San Francisco with her father, going to school with her best friend Nicole, and dueling small games during her lunch hour, foregoing stone-hard taters and runny eggs for the passion of Duel Monsters. She would never have been able to imagine Japanese dueling, which was no game to be reckoned with. She never could have dreamed herself dueling the second best duelist in the world, or being friends with the best. Or that she would be living in Kaiba's house for three days.  
  
She reached for her closet, to pack extra clothes. A few dresses, a set of pajamas – three sets of bras and underwear. A pair of shorts, if the weather got any warmer? And a tube top for the heat.  
  
She crammed her things into a duffle bag, and as she reached for her hairbrush saw Tea sitting on the edge of the bunk, yawning.  
  
"Go back to sleep, Tea, my dad won't mind if you stay a little late."  
  
"No, I'm fine," said Tea, hopping down to the floor. "I'll head to Yugi's for breakfast; his grandpa makes great pancakes." She started pulling on her shorts and blouse. "Thanks for having me. And remember, don't forget to call Yugi's tonight. We'll probably be there. It's 490-6621."  
  
"I will. Hey, don't forget about me over there." She gave a smile and winked. She wrapped her silver scarf around her shoulders loosely to chase away the coolness of morning. Then she and Tea, after saying goodbye to Mr. Hallowell, left to go their separate ways: Tea to Yugi's apartment above the game shop, and Toria to Kaiba's mansion.  
  
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There is chapter 8! Chapter 9 will be up after I upload this one, but I wanted to have a nice clean break off. So check back later!  
  
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	9. Sugar and Coffee

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Ok, I know I promised her first day as Kaiba's maid, but...I try to keep my entries at around 1,000 words. The last one was 2,000! So I figured it was time for a new chapter. So...prepare to be amazed! Or horrified, whichever ^_^  
  
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Toria arrived at Kaiba's doorstep promptly at seven o'clock, feeling sleepless and defensive. She was going to pay her penance and leave, without hysterics or arguments or anything crazy. Just do it, get it over with, like ripping off a band-aide. Then she would try to forget that she had ever had to be Kaiba's maid.  
  
She was greeted by Roland, who looked rather alarmed to see this ferocious young lady back again. He was not pleased. However, seeing her weary face and quiet eyes, he felt soothed. Perhaps she was not so bad as she had seemed. He took her duffle bag from her.  
  
"Ma'am, I'll show you to your room, ma'am." As they traveled through the mansion, he indicated this room and that so that she might acquaint herself. He led her up the grand staircase with its sweeping banister up to the second story foyer, a long row of closed doors on red carpeting. As they traveled through the mansion, he indicated this room and that so that she might acquaint herself. He used his master key to let her into a nearby room, ushering her in.  
  
Toria gasped. The room was a beautiful place, brightly white and airy, the slim gauzy curtains flapping in the gentle morning breeze. The windows looked out onto the British gardens, mazes of hedges and colorful perennials in delicate, orderly stone flower boxes. Cool fountains and angelic statues adorned corners. Each curve in the path was another exhibit for another fountain or statue.  
  
The room itself was peacefully beautiful, if not overly luxurious. A huge white bed crowned a dais by the windows, and a large Turkish bath adjoined the room. The serenity and design of the room was fit for a princess.  
  
"You'll find your uniform in there, ma'am, and you should report to Master Kaiba's study as soon as possible." He exited to allow her to change. She turned towards the large wardrobe on one wall and flung open the doors, finding it filled with all the comforts a girl would need for her stay – besides her black and white maid's uniform, it also contained a Japanese yakata, a night gown, slippers, a bathrobe, several outfits, shoes, and even and evening gown – though why a maid would scrub latrines in an evening gown was beyond her.  
  
Looking dubiously at the black knee length skirt, matching blouse, and white half-apron. She tried them on, finding them a perfect fit. She examined herself in the long mirror installed on the wardrobe's inner panel. She looked the very picture of a maid, black, white, and cute, although the cute was dimmed by the long raven hair that did not quite match the dress – and her uncertain expression. She half-heartedly tried to bob a courtesy, feeling embarrassed. The dress was not as modest as she would have liked – rarely did she wear short skirts. Her fuku had been a stretch. She tugged at the hemline, attempting to lengthen it. How dare Kaiba give her this slut's dress to work in? She wasn't his toy. Well, he would get a piece of her mind.  
  
She slid her feet into the maid's pumps and set down on her way to Kaiba's study downstairs. She found the room easily enough, a tall oak set of double doors, framed by two large portraits – a Blue Eyes White Dragon painting and a photograph of Mokuba. She paused by the doors, pulling at her skirt in a vain attempt to convince it to ride lower, and wondered whether or not she should knock. With a sudden surge of bravery and outrage, she disregarded knocking altogether and flung open the doors, barging in.  
  
Kaiba had been quietly going over his finances and shipment reports, sipping more of his special strength black coffee. The bitter, acid flavor washed over his tongue, a constant joy and a constant pain. He, who was never surprised, shocked, or caught off guard, almost spit coffee as he saw a tiny girl angrily storming into his study, in the shortest maid's uniform he had ever seen. He gulped his coffee just in time, barely able to retain his cold dislike.  
  
Cute when's she angry, hmm? hissed the voice.  
  
He ignored it and turned to face Toria.  
  
"You showed up. I'm surprised that you would face me." Where had Roland got that getup? It was cut very low in the top and very high in the skirt. He was barely hanging onto himself at the sight of her rounded – he mentally blushed and caught himself. His eyes grew colder in an attempt to control himself.  
  
"I nearly didn't, and would you like to know why?" she said, her voice quietly dangerous. "Because I might as well go around nude, this skirt is so short! I don't know what you've seen in American movie theaters, Seto Kaiba, but I am not going to dress like a harlot for the next three days!" she shrieked, angrily tugging the skirt shorter and the blouse higher.  
  
"I had no hand in the choosing of your uniform. I will tell Roland to replace it." A chill silence enveloped the room. Neither spoke for a minute, until Toria defensively demanded:  
  
"I'm here as your maid, aren't I?" Kaiba's eyes flicked from his papers to the girl, standing thrust forward as though she was about to attack.  
  
"So what would you like me to do?"  
  
For a moment, Kaiba lost his grip. Do? He hadn't really thought of that, had he? He frowned into his coffee cup. Inspiration struck.  
  
"Coffee. I will need a fresh vat of coffee every hour."  
  
"Anything else, gov'n?" mimicked Toria, snatching his coffee mug. He reached for it.  
  
"There's still coffee in that, you idiot," he growled. No one should ever mess with his coffee. He used it to make millions of dollars every day. Before now, no one had ever dared to go anywhere near his coffee. His mind turned this over as Toria felt the cup's heat.  
  
"It's cold coffee. I should make you drink it." She sniffed at it. "What is this, rocket fuel? My father's car exhaust smells better."  
  
"I don't criticize your beverages," he snarled back at her. He became colder, as though ice caked around him. "I expect the saloon to be dusted, have its curtains vacuumed, and the magazines and coffee cups removed. Prepare lunch for Mokuba. At noon I will personally check on your progress." His eyes traveling back to the laptop screen, he added to her:  
  
"Now get out."  
  
"Fine with me, Kaiba." She jangled that empty coffee cup at him. "I'll be back in an hour with a fresh mug of tar for you." She sent him a searing glare with violet eyes, receiving one.  
  
He glared at her leaving figure. How could she be so infuriating? Even Joey, with his constant threats and remarks, never made his anger boil so heavily. But still...something in her ignited something else. He wanted to know who had selected that costume she had been wearing –  
  
So you could give him a big hug, Kaiba? whispered his voice.  
  
No, so I could fire him, snapped the boy. No woman should ever wear something so degrading.  
  
Woman? Woman, is she? I thought she was another faceless loser you had beaten.  
  
He remembered her shapely figured squeezed into the tiny maid's dress. The vigor, the life, the ferocity – she was something he had never seen before.  
  
Yes, she is most definitely a woman, he replied, and for the first time in long years, tuned out the coming retort.  
  
* * *  
  
Toria surveyed his mess of a saloon. With two boys in this house, including the butler, what else would she expect? Boys knew nothing about cleaning. The floor needed vacuuming, and the curtains, the tables and decorative false flowers dusted, the chessboard wiped of fingerprints. And to have every single newspaper, every single coffee mug, thermos, and cup, along with every single piece of discarded technology that either Kaiba boy had been fiddling with removed. She heaved a sigh, reaching for the supplies she had absconded with from the cleaning closet.  
  
She worked for nearly an hour simply dusting and scrubbing fingerprints and coffee smears and newspaper print. As she worked, she thought. And as she thought, her mind came to rest on Seto Kaiba.  
  
However impolite, intolerable, and infuriating she found him, for some reason she was drawn to him. Perhaps it was his shaggy brown hair, or his piercing blue eyes, or tall figure. She had always had a thing for tall guys. But it couldn't be any of those. Toria was not the sort of girl to be interested in only a guy's looks. And even if she was only interested in a boy's appearance, why not Tristan or Yugi or Joey or any of the other boys at her new school? She had to pick the most insufferable of them all, didn't she?  
  
Checking the tall grandfather clock, she realized that in ten minutes Kaiba would want his stupid coffee. Leaving her cleaning half-finished, she strode to the kitchens, a bright room filled with far too many gray marble counters, and found the coffee maker, loaded with a heavy dose of his own special blend. She flicked on the coffee maker, methodically and orderly bringing out the ingredients to make a hearty dish of homemade macaroni and cheese for lunch.  
  
By the time it was in the oven, the coffee was ready and it was approximately an hour since she had last spoken to Kaiba.  
  
She was feeling slightly pleased with herself, glad she had managed to put lunch together, make coffee, and almost finish cleaning the saloon. She marched toward the study, a huge mug of a coffee and a plate of scones in hand.  
  
She flung open the doors and approached the desk. Kaiba, his head bent with muttering calculations, did a very good impression of a deer in headlights.  
  
"Here's your coffee." He sniffed it suspiciously. "Drink it." Her tone left no room for argument. He took a slow sip, as though testing it for poison. For the second time that day, he almost spewed coffee.  
  
"WHAT in the WORLD did you do to my special blend?" he sputtered, trying to remain calm. Gozaburo had told him more than once that anger was weakness. He attempted to remain frigid and impassively deadly, but failed. Glares, stares, and dangerous tones did not work on this girl. She knew them all, having used them personally.  
  
"I added something called sug-ar, Kaiba. It was like motor oil. And eat these biscuits. You can't live on a drink made from greasy water dripping through burnt beans. You'll go all spare, you idiot."  
  
"I'm fine," he said coldly, shoving aside the saucer of pastries. "I don't need this heavy stuff."  
  
"Yes, you do," Toria said sternly. "Eat them. And at twelve you're coming downstairs to eat lunch. The way you work, I'm highly surprised you're not dead." She turned on her heel and hurriedly sailed off to the saloon.  
  
Kaiba stared at his sweetened coffee and plate of biscuits, the butter pats and jam dish alongside. Gruffly, he tasted a scone. The voice in his head tried to interrupt him as he mentally running off another lie, claiming the biscuits to be rock hard. He reached for another.  
  
Fine, he snapped at himself. Maybe I do like her. Maybe. But if, IF, I do, it's only a physical attraction. He nodded to himself, stifling the mental debate team. Any man would be pleased to see a pretty young girl attend to him. He gave a faint smile, sipping his sweetened coffee. Even one so fierce, so wild, and so free as this.  
  
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Whew! Double WHEW! More later...romance grows! 


	10. Strange Effects

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Chapter 10!!!! *does lil dance* Never thought I would get this far, but thanx to the beggings of my friends...I did. Ok, anyway, Kaiba and Toria are still in major denial, but they are willing to admit each other is hot. ^_^ Um...however, their how relationship is about denial, at least it is until the other fanfic I'm writing, which is tentatively titled Lost in Golden Sands. Anyway, hoping you'll R&R I'm pretty pleased ^____________^  
  
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Mokuba plopped down into a chair at the small table in the solarium, enjoying the rich smell of the steam rising from his macaroni and cheese. He relished the idea of something that hadn't come out of a box. He wasn't much of a cook.  
  
He watched with a happy smile as the new maid served him a glass of milk and toast. Her bold, 'I'm-here-to-take-charge-of-everything' attitude was refreshing. Seto was always busy with the company. He barely had time to eat or sleep, let alone go to school and do homework.  
  
"Wow, this looks great Toria," he thanked her, getting a milk mustache. She gave him a faintly warm smile, her violet eyes glowing with happiness at his gratitude.  
  
She used these same violet eyes to seemingly x-ray the walls for a sign of life in the study. As though reading her mind, Mokuba added:  
  
"Seto doesn't usually eat lunch. Just drink more coffee."  
  
"That boy is going to go into caffeine shock and we'll find him gibbering madly three days later." She put her hands on her hips. "He is coming to lunch because I am going to make him come to lunch. You keep eating, Mokuba. I am going to talk to your brother."  
  
"He doesn't like to be disturbed. I wouldn't..." tried Mokuba. But she was already off towards the study.  
  
She barged into the room, as was her usual. He seemed to be consulting spreadsheets now. Used to these disturbances, he did not look up. She rammed her face close to his, breathing heavily, like a warhorse back from battle. She fixed him with her steeliest glare.  
  
"Seto Kaiba," she declared. "You are going to eat lunch with your brother Mokuba. And I am here to make sure you do it."  
  
He sent her another glare, and she glared back. Both of them were wondering why he didn't just give up. He did. He heaved himself out of the chair, taking his empty coffee cup with him for a refill. However, when he didn't move but instead went to collect papers to work through lunch, she tore them from his hands and pushed him down the hall, or tried to – for a small girl of five feet to bodily move a six foot seven guy is not exactly simple.  
  
"No work. For a full twenty minutes. I challenge you to try it."  
  
"I don't have to do what you say," he harrumphed, like a snubbed child. "You're working for me, not the other way around."  
  
"It's your fault I'm here, and I plan to make you as miserable as possible by turning this mansion inside out. You'll wish you never dueled me." She gave a sort of dry humor grimace, dragging him into the solarium.  
  
She roughly shoved him into a chair and pushed a plate of food in front of him.  
  
"Eat it. You look half dead." He tried another final, half-hearted glare. After several spoonfuls of lunch, he turned to her, eyes slightly softer, as though some of the ice was trying to thaw.  
  
"You look like you were up all night. Go to bed for a few hours." He gave her mocking, similar gesture as though he was pushing her as she pushed him. "Try a sofa in the library. That's an order."  
  
"I have work to do," she said stubbornly.  
  
"You'd rather wash dishes?" he said coolly. "Fine." Mokuba, seeing her sleep deprivation and feeling full of good food, gave her a puppy dog look.  
  
"Please get some rest, Toria. We..." Kaiba gave him a glare, which did for once take affect. "I mean, I – don't want you catching a cold."  
  
The double team of coldness and cuteness was too much. With a 'I'm-not- defeated-yet' sigh, she flounced off to the library.  
  
As soon as she was gone, Mokuba spoke up.  
  
"Big brother?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Is she going to stay for a while?" He gestured at his plate, shoveling in more food. "I like her."  
  
Kaiba ate stolidly, thinking methodically.  
  
"Yes, well, I like her too." Then he cleared his table and went back to the study.  
  
* * *  
  
Toria had promised herself she wouldn't fall asleep, that she would get up and do something else to rebel against Kaiba's orders. But as she curled up on the plush sofa, it felt difficult to get up and cause more havoc.  
  
Kaiba wasn't so bad, she thought quietly. A work-a-holic, true, too much coffee in his diet, yes...But his cruelty, she saw, was a shield. A shield so he wouldn't be hurt. You just had to find a way around these things.  
  
She even allowed herself a miniature fantasy of Kaiba giving her a soft hug before she was lost to the land of sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Kaiba's coffee was running low. He wondered what strange thing in him had tugged as he told her to get some sleep. Compassion, a voice attempted to hiss. He destroyed it with a mentally blow.  
  
When she wasn't being fiery, or 'The Warrioress' or anything like that...he saw what Yugi and his friends liked about her. She was...kind. He had rarely felt kindness. With a sudden surge of energy neither coffee or the idea of stuffy executives could muster, he made his way to the library to check on her.  
  
He slowly eased the door open, seeing her immobile form curled as sweetly as a kitten on the sofa in front of the piano. A feather of emotion brushed his heart. And, before he knew what he was doing, he reached for the heavy coverlet and tenderly spread it across her, and gently kissed her forehead. She smiled faintly in her sleep, whispering a tiny word. He listened closely, hearing a breathy, sleep-muttered word... "Mmm, Kaiba..." Startled that she might be awake and slap him for kissing her, he quickly exited back to his study.  
  
Girls, he thought as he sat back down at his laptop, surely has strange affects of boys.  
  
* * *  
  
Chapter 11 soon...this is going to be a 13-chapter story, and then we start 'Lost in Golden Sands'. So keep checking...  
  
A/N: Also, for my dear friend Twigz, expect Marik's WEDDING to be popping up here soon! 


	11. Facing Truth

* * *  
  
Yay, chapter 11!!! *hugs a random kitty* I hug kitties when I'm happy ^_^ *is scratched* \\\ Ouchies...  
  
Meowth: Fury swipes!  
  
Me: What are YOU doing here?  
  
Meowth: I'm scratching you ^_~  
  
Me: Ummmm...I haven't watched Pokemon since 5th grade... *presses security button*  
  
Meowth: -.-U WHY NOT?!?!  
  
Me: Because, um.... *gets nervous* I, kinda, um...dunno? ((O.O))  
  
Meowth: Well then I am staying here. Forever. As your annoying lil kitty.  
  
Me: YAY! REALLY?! *reaches for pink ribbon* Let's make you pretty!!!!  
  
Meowth: AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! *runs away*  
  
Me: Oh, well.  
  
Ok then, chapter 11! SQUEE!  
  
Everyone: o.O JUST READ THE CHAPTER!!!  
  
Me: Fine, fine. T_T  
  
* * *  
  
Toria rose from her bed the following morning with a sigh. She remembered her phone call to Yugi's last night as vividly as though it had been only five minutes ago.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey, is Yugi there?"  
  
"Yeah, hi, Toria. How is Kaiba treating you?"  
  
"I'm fine, he's not psycho or anything." She paused as she heard laughter in the background. "Listen, can I talk to Tea? This is kind of a girl problem."  
  
There was a pause. "Um, sure...I'll get her. Tea? Tea!" Footsteps drumming on carpeting. Someone picked up the phone.  
  
"Listen, Tea, it's about Kaiba..." I began. But it was Joey's voice that exploded onto the phone.  
  
"What did dat stupid losah do to ya? Do I need to kick him straight in da..."  
  
Tea suddenly snatched the phone. "Sorry, Joey was nosing around. Tristan," she yelled, "Hit him with something for me, will ya? The cord won't reach." There was a dull clunk.  
  
"Thanks. Now, Tor, what's the problem?" Piece by piece, careful to make sure no one was listening, she outpoured her emotions and thoughts about Kaiba.  
  
"Kaiba? Are – are you sure?" asked Tea, wondering if she needed to go talk to her doctor and get her ears checked.  
  
"Yes," said Toria firmly. A point to her credit – she was not one to live with regret. When she made up her mind, there was no going back.  
  
Tea sighed. Joey, Tristan, and Yami were not going to be pleased.  
  
"So...what should I do?" asked Toria. "I've never really had a guy like this before...that I really liked."  
  
"Just act like yourself. I'm sure he would like you for you."  
  
"Thanks, Tea." She twirled the phone cord. "Any other advice?"  
  
"Yeah," giggled Tea. "Don't challenge him to another duel."  
  
"Ha, ha ha, very funny," said Toria, slightly huffy. "Well, call you tomorrow."  
  
"Right."  
  
* * *  
  
Sliding off the bed after her momentary reflection, she went looking for her maid's uniform. Thankfully, she noticed as she flipped through her wardrobe that the uniform had been replaced with a much more modest version. Leaning against the mirror inside the wardrobe, she eyed her long dark purple hair critically. She twirled a long silky strand. Normally a set of curlers would take care of any hair boredom...But today was a workday.  
  
She stepped lightly downstairs, beginning her rounds of cleaning that she had put together like clockwork. Set the coffee maker running, make breakfast for Mokuba and Kaiba, and then to her latest project: the library. After her nap, she surveyed the library proper – the books, busts, and the sheet music nearly decaying under its dust as it was propped up on the grand piano. Her work was cut out for her. She reached for her dusting cloth, damp with the heavy lemony scent of cleaning spray. The spines of the books first, she decided, and then the statuettes and awards. Without further thought, she got to work.  
  
Kaiba shuffled papers, calculating finances in his head. His Funding Department had demanded a complete list of his expenses for the company, most of which went to packaging the DuelDiscs for public release. He was deep in thought, running through long files of inventory. He wouldn't have moved at least until two o'clock if his coffee hadn't gone dry.  
  
He rose from his leather chair, sighing. He needed coffee to keep functioning. She was supposed to have refilled his coffee two hours ago. With or without sugar, he thought. He stalked down the corridors, hunting for the elusive black and white coated girl. He eventually found her in the library, attempting to reach a 'Best Businessman of the Year' plaque so as to dust it.  
  
He paused in the doorway, leaning against the walnut frame. Her slender figure, now modestly swathed in a better-fitting maid uniform he had ordered personally, made something in his heart flip. He stood silent, looking her over. Her smooth legs, slender waist, perky chest, and silky veil of dark hair. Suddenly, he was overtaken by a surging desire to reach for her, envelope her in his arms, and kiss her passionately to end the torment she did to him.  
  
But he couldn't. She wasn't some useless girl only obsessed with his wallet, or his looks, or just desperate to tell everyone she had kissed Seto Kaiba, CEO millionaire. She was...real. She was something he had never met before. Something wild and free you couldn't tame, or lock up, or hide in a mansion. She wasn't meant to be owned like a pony. She was a wild horse, crashing over the mountains. And it was this, as he watched her flip her mane of silk in an attempt to reach the plaque again, that made him do what he did next.  
  
He slowly stepped toward her, reaching for the plaque. She paused in her effort, dropping down to her normal height. He towered over her, his long hand reaching upwards, and he brought it back down for her, meeting her eyes. He felt fire and lightening crackle and burn in her spirit, as though she was alive with flame. He placed a hand on her smooth cheek, using the other to draw her in close to him, kissing her lovingly full on the mouth.  
  
It took a second for Toria's shock to register, her mind trying to break free from the soft, misty spell that Kaiba was casting on her mouth. Shivers and heat ran up and down her spine as she felt him embracing her gently, yet firmly, and her mind was telling her to simply melt into his arms and let him take over. She wanted him to, to keep her safe.  
  
But Toria had always prided herself on her ability to think for herself, and a tiny corner of her mind that was left awake protested. It lit fire to he brain, burning away the cloud in a draft of smoke and flame. She was free.  
  
She wrestled away from his grip, shooting the fiercest death glares she had ever gathered, breathing heavily. She shoved him away from her as he spread his arms.  
  
"Seto Kaiba, you hideous pervert! Get off me! I don't know what you've heard about American girls, but we do NOT just sleep around with ANYONE! So get your filthy hands off me, or I swear I will..." She was suddenly caught off guard as she met his blue eyes, every shard of ice melted to nothing. And they glowed with a soft new light she had never seen.  
  
"But, Toria..." he said quietly, using her first name for the first time.  
  
"What?" she snapped, regaining her composure.  
  
"I – I love you." His face flickered quickly, as though the last of his shield was dropping, and for the first time in his life, he was vulnerable. He let himself be unguarded and let down his walls.  
  
Toria wasn't inclined to believe him. Over the years, many boys, both teenage and pre-pubescent, had attempted to trick her with those three words. And she had never believed them. She had never let herself believe them. Women were powerful, yes, she had admitted to herself many times, but men had discovered their weakness. The simple phrase 'I love you' and they eat out your hand. She would never let it work on her. It was another tactic to hurt her.  
  
She watched his blue eyes, smooth as the surface of a mirror, which reflected the truth back at her. The truth that they had both tried to deny for so long. Somehow, someway – no matter how long they had known each other –  
  
They were in love.  
  
Kaiba was shocked when she came forward, letting herself be wrapped in his arms in a tight embrace. For a moment he froze as she seemed to become part of him, but then he smiled, a wide smile he hadn't allowed himself since he was very young, and kissed her long and full and soft. And she kissed him back, as fiery as she was, both of them very much in love.  
  
* * *  
  
AND THAT, MY FRIENDS & FANS, was Chapter 11! So, beautifully fluffy romance, hmm??? Note, this will not be lemony. None of my fics are lemony, sry guys *shoulder shrug* Chapter 12 is going to be more deliciously whipped-Yogurt fluff...so stick around and R&R!!!!!  
  
* * * 


	12. Pure Love

* * *  
  
Chapter 12....is pure fluff. Pure, cloud-like, soft, foofy, sweet, gooey, marshmallows-and-bunny rabbit FLUFF. Either be disgusted or amazed. Or in love. WHATEVER. But I'm pretty pleased, because that means this is almost over and we can start 'Lost in Golden Sands'!!!! *hugs random kitty*  
  
Also, before I start the fic, on a personal note:  
  
WANTED: 1 ANNOYING TALKING CRITIC TO FILL UP SPACE BEFORE AND AFTER FANFICS. MUST APPLY IN PERSON. CANNOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BE FROM POKEMON. ^_^  
  
Also...loving the reviews!!!! I went downstairs to watch Joan of Arcadia, came back, and saw about 6! ^_________________^ Love y'all!!!  
  
On with the fic!  
  
* * *  
  
Toria gently brushed his long bangs with her fingers, sweeping them aside to reveal his eyes. He smiled up at her. It was late. The fire crackled merrily in the library fireplace, and they were lounging on the shag rug in before it, in pajamas. They both looked the picture of young lovers, both unaware that their story seemed to be right out of a fairy tale. Kaiba sipped a shot of espresso, foregoing his usual plain coffee. He felt like this was the best moment of his life. He was warm, rich, and full – his espresso was sweet, his brother was sleeping, and the most beautiful girl in the world was curled up in his arms. He gazed down at her.  
  
She was half-asleep, absent-mindedly toying with the sash on her pink and white flowered yakata, for once peaceful. He tenderly gave her a kiss, enchanted at the way she slid up to meet him. He realized, then, that if three days ago a psychic had told him all of this, he never would have believed her.  
  
Seto was as shocked at his behavior as any other bystander would have been. He had been so hard, so untouchable, for so long. He had not let himself feel emotions. When he was little and his parents died, he learned that emotions...hurt. He didn't like hurt. So what was is about this girl that made him want to feel...human again? He didn't know. But he did know one thing. He never wanted to be numb again.  
  
Toria stirred, giving a sigh of contentment and slowly opening her eyes with a smile. She gave him a long, sweet kiss, a sweetness reserved solely for him. He smiled and held her closer, quietly giving her a forceful kiss that the classical music in the background didn't seem to match.  
  
Pleased at his awakening, Toria revealed a tiny taste of fire that seemed to burn him, kissing him hard and reaching up to clasp her hands around his neck. He ran his hands through her long mass of dark hair, loving the silk of it in his fingers. She gave it a playful toss, arching away from him, before giving him another kiss and burying her face in his brown hair. He gave her another fierce kiss, glad to release some of his fire as well.  
  
After several minutes of fiery kisses, they both paused to catch their breath.  
  
"Toria...I want you to know..." Kaiba began, holding her close to him, enjoying the sensation of her heart beating next to his and her chest rising and falling with breath. "I – I didn't just meet you three days ago." He waited for the confused expression, eyebrows furrowed over violet eyes. But it didn't come.  
  
"Oh, I've known that since..." She paused, realizing what she was saying. "Since forever."  
  
"I – I feel like I've been kept from you for so long, or you've been kept from me," he added, trying to explain. "It makes me so confused, thinking about it."  
  
"Kaiba," Toria softly ordered, staring deep into her eyes, "For once, don't think. Just feel." She pressed a hand to his heart, feeling it pumping. She took his and held it against her own chest, touching the warm skin uncovered by her yakata. "Listen to your heart."  
  
She shook her hair away from her face, letting him stroke her cheeks and smoothly bringing her in for another kiss. He wrapped her in his arms, vaguely feeling her breasts against him, wondering how a woman could so express this energy surge in his heart called 'love'. He seemed to be lost in a world of emotion, senses, and double memories. She was so perfect for him, so his – he felt as though they were two united. After thousands of years, he felt...complete again. He began to rock her back and forth, feeling her face buried in his shoulder. He let his grip ride lower, cradling her as they continued to kiss passionately.  
  
"Seto Kaiba," she began, broken off by another passionate kiss, running her hands through his hair, "I love you." And she let go of every pain she had ever felt, every blow from her old parents, every schoolgirl crush that ended in heartbreak, every losing duelist that had ever mouthed the words 'I hate you.' She lost herself in their love, becoming one soul, and moaned softly as they rolled onto the carpet, Kaiba's espresso forgotten. As large as he was compared to her small frame, he was gentle, treating her as though she might break. He slid his hands to her hips, coaxing another sweet sigh of happiness, while she braced herself against his solid chest, lapsing into kisses and caresses, innocent passion, until, an hour later, the kisses grew softer, grew gentler, pulsing with contentedly weary life.  
  
Kaiba watched the girl in his arms again, the girl he knew he had known forever, the girl who held his secrets...and his heart. As she shifted lower into his arms, her head resting against his chest, he whispered quietly in her ear,  
  
"You are beautiful."  
  
* * * FLUFFY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beautifully fluffy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Note, the words overused in this piece are: love, heart, gently, softly, and pleased ^_^ Mainly because I like the word pleased right now. I feel pleased ^___________________^ Now most people would consider this the end, but imagine...what did Toria forget to check off from her to-do list????? More in THE FINAL CHAPTER!!!!! Also, loving the R&Rs, really making me write ^_________^  
  
* * * 


	13. Just Beginning

* * *  
  
THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THE WITCH OF THE BLACK FOREST STORY!!!! *turns off caps* Ok, don't worry folks, Toria isn't going to vanish, she has more secrets she needs to discover...Anyway, this is the final chapter, 13 is very good number ^_^ Ok then...  
  
WARNING: FLUFF BEYOND FLUFF. But my fluff does have a point. At the end. But anyway, see if you can stand the fluff. The meaning is pretty good.  
  
Tor and Kaiba from setting: WE'RE WAITING!  
  
Me: FINE!  
  
Ok, here we go... hang onto your keyboards, everyone, and keep your hands and feet inside the swively chair at all times!  
  
* * *  
  
The sun shown brightly down on the streets of Domino City, the heat working to build itself into a scorching day. Milk jugs were being brought in; papers collected, and serenity prevailed. Everyone seemed to be sunk in a peaceful, happy, storybook stupor.  
  
So imagine the neighbors' surprise as they spotted three boys marching towards battle, a girl making a fruitless effort to drag them back.  
  
"Guys!" she moaned, clutching the back of their coats as one would try and walk dogs, "C'mon, I'm sure it's fine..." Unfortunately for Tea, she had two hands to control three boys. As soon as she attempted to haul one back to reality, another escaped. She made a wild snatch for Joey, who was barging ahead, and lost control of Yami-Yugi, who was also running madly towards the Kaiba Mansion.  
  
Unless one had overlooked a simple minor detail, they would be heartily confused as to why this whole clamor was occurring.  
  
The telephone call. Or lack thereof. Toria had agreed to call every night, and there hadn't been any phone calls. All night. While the gang stayed up listening. All night. This morning, convinced that Kaiba had somehow contrived a plan to have her bumped off, they were off to storm KaibaCorp Mansion. They were restrained feebly by Tea, who had a fairly good idea of why she hadn't called. All night.  
  
The boys raced up the steps, Tea in tow. Joey banged on the door with his fist, yelling, and "Open up, Kaiba What didja ya do to Tor?"  
  
There was no answer. Tristan and Joey attempted to knock the door down, barreling into it like a battering ram. There were the repeated sounds of thuds and grunting teenage boys as Tea shook her head sadly. What was she doing with these weirdos again?  
  
"Look, Joey, Tristan, let me try." Yami stepped forward, looking at the door, and reaching for the doorknob, opened it. It was unlocked.  
  
Oh right, said Tea, I hang around for that weirdo.  
  
They ran in, stopping short in the foyer. They had no idea where they could have found her in this maze of a house.  
  
"Awright, Kaiba, show yourself!" shouted Joey.  
  
"Yeah!" said Tristan. "You better not have done anything to her!"  
  
There was a soft groaning from behind them. They whirled around to see Mokuba in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, looking at a clock on the wall. "It's only 8 am." He gave a sleepy snort, and then with a sudden uncertainty, "Seto didn't get lost in another virtual world or something, did he?"  
  
"No," said Tea, "But they're worried about the maid – Toria, you know?"  
  
"Toria? Why? She's fine, or she was when I saw her last, as supper...Do you know," he continued eagerly, "That she can make roast beef, golden potatoes, and green beans, all in less than thirty minutes?" He, Joey, and Tristan, quests momentarily forgotten, sighed in unison at the mention of good food.  
  
Yami stepped closer to Mokuba, inquiring, "So then, where is she? In her room?"  
  
He broke his dreamy face at the thought of roast beef. "No, I don't think so...she should be in the library, I think I saw her in there early this morning."  
  
"Why would she be in the library?" asked Tristan blankly.  
  
"Well, she was dusting in there yesterday," added Mokuba. "I'll show you." He led them down a long hall, as Joey raved,  
  
"Da nerve of dat guy, keepin' her up workin' at all hours of da day!" They turned a corner and stopped in front of a large closed door. Yami flung it open, striding into the room, as Joey said loudly, "Ok, Tor, we're here to rescue ya!"  
  
Tristan, Tea, Yami, and Mokuba, however, we shocked to discover, lying in a patch of morning sunlight the two still, sleeping forms of Seto Kaiba and Toria Hallowell, entwined together, a tiny pink yakata curled in the arms of a loose blue pajama set.  
  
"Seto Kaiba and Toria Hallowell, WHAT is going ON here!?" barked Joey. The two stood up quickly, like startled deer, and each mentally seemed to be calculating a good escape plan. But there was only one door to the library, and they were blocking that.  
  
"Joey, shush, it's fine, there's nothing..." began Tea, trying to shut him up. But he had already worked up to a full rant.  
  
"You've got a lot of nerve, Kaiba, tryin' to get it on with our friend, just you wait, we'll get you for this, right Yug?" He turned to Yami for support. But Yami had just seen was Tristan, Tea and Mokuba were observing – the way Toria's hand was intertwined with Kaiba's, the soft glow in each other's eyes, and the fact that for once Kaiba wasn't scowling.  
  
"Joey," said Yami, watching the couple sending them all double-barreled glares, daring them to separate them, "I don't think..."  
  
"We're a couple," said Kaiba, leaving no room for argument from the group. He held her to him and gave her a long, sweet kiss, ignoring Mokuba's mutterings of, "Eww, kissing..."  
  
"What do you think of all this, Toria?" asked Tristan sensibly, trying not to watch Kaiba kissing (Tristan's thought bubble: 'Ewww.')  
  
She broke the kiss for a moment, licking her lower lip, and leaned against Kaiba. She thought for a moment, smiled...and gave Kaiba another long kiss.  
  
It was Tea who flipped out first. She tore Toria away from Kaiba, shrieking, "Oh MY GOD! YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER!"  
  
"I KNOW!" shrieked Toria. They shrieked in unison, then, "DOUBLE DATES!"  
  
Everyone sweatdropped. -_-U  
  
"Sorry," said Tea, when she gained sanity again.  
  
"It's a girl thing," said Toria. "It's physically impossible to skip the shriek-a-thon."  
  
Kaiba frowned, and muttered, "What have I gotten myself into?"  
  
"Seto," commanded Toria sweetly, giving him another quick kiss, "You are taking the day off work. Tea and I are going to make sushi and you and the boys are going to open the pool."  
  
"But I have executives to meet with, and finances to email, and..."  
  
"And it's Sunday and you have worked far too hard for these last few days." She gave him another quick kiss. "Move it. While you open the pool, we'll make lunch." She ushered the boys out of the room.  
  
"Ok, Tea, come up to my room, I bet we can locate some bikinis..."  
  
Kaiba felt the bright morning almost-June sunlight burning his trench coat, wondering how he got talked into these things. Sunlight. Yugh. He gave a faint smirk at the thought of Toria in a bikini. With sudden inspiration, he tossed off his trench coat, letting it land on a nearby patio chair, and went to operate the pool cover remote.  
  
Everyone got to work. Tristan fished lilos and floats out from the cabana; Yugi (A/N: Yugi's back, Yami hates sunlight ^_^) started wiping off the patio furniture; and Joey used the pool net to trawl for cherry blossoms that had wafted under the cover. He watched Kaiba out of the corner of his eye, punching numbers into the remote system located on the wall. He crept closer, reaching for another cherry petal.  
  
"Kaiba," he said out of the corner of his mouth, "Don't think this changes anything between us."  
  
Kaiba had been in a glow of happiness, but he quickly hardened to ice. "You wish, Wheeler, you whimpering dog."  
  
"Dog?! Watch your mouth, Kaiba!" He dove at the tall figure punching numbers into the module. They scuffled to attack each other.  
  
Tristan and Yugi separated the two, standing between them.  
  
"Look, guys," said Yugi, "Be civil, huh? You don't want the girls to catch you fighting."  
  
"No," agreed Kaiba roughly after a long minute. "No, we don't want to fight in front of the girls."  
  
"So...Peace treaty?" Yugi counseled, giving them both a hopeful smile. Kaiba glanced to the shadows cast on the kitchen curtains, where two slim figures could be seen talking and dicing seaweed.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine."  
  
* * *  
  
"What do you think is going on out there?" asked Tea, nervously pouring lemonade.  
  
"Well," said Toria in her dreamy, practical voice, "Seto is probably insulting Joey, Joey is probably beating Seto into pulp, and Yugi and Tristan are attempting to stop mortal injuries from occurring." She gave a quiet chuckle, loading a platter with sushi. "Food will stop any would-be deaths."  
  
"Hey, listen," said Tea with impulsive insight, "The best way to keep their noses clean is a little distraction. Joey and Tristan both have girlfriends, see, Serenity and Mai..."  
  
"Perfect," said Toria as she neatly arranged chopsticks. "We could use help holding down the fort." She tossed Tea the nearest cell phone. Seto had dozens of cell phones for business deals – his only problem was keeping track of them. She found them everywhere – the kitchen, the library, the study, the bath, the cabana.  
  
"Hey, Mai, listen, we've got a situation here, a 1-27-5023. Would you mind popping by? Kaiba's house. Pool party. Bring a bathing suit. Yeah I know, it is weird. I'll explain when you get here, ok?"  
  
"Serenity? Ok, bathing suit, shades, Tristan, at Kaiba's. Before the guys kill each other. See you in ten."  
  
Tea flashed Toria the thumbs-up sign.  
  
"Good. Now let's raid my wardrobe, you'd be surprised how suits are stocked in that thing."  
  
* * *  
  
Fifteen minutes later, there was a sudden explosion of giggling feminine estrogen energy onto the pool deck, levitating the boys with unexpected shock. Toria and Tea, each bearing trays of food and in bikinis, followed by Mai and Serenity, bearing towels and drinks, awakened all the very bored and uncomfortable males scattered around the patio. Mai immediately staked out Joey and went to berate him.  
  
"Joseph Wheeler, you big dope, I got a call from Tea saying there was a 1- 27-5023 situation, short hand for: 'My boyfriend is making a big dope out of himself...again.' So what have you done?"  
  
He cowered a little under the extreme personality of his blonde girlfriend, looking at his feet. "Umm...just threatening Kaiba, yelling, you know..." Mai rolled her eyes and gave him a dope-slap over the head.  
  
"Play nice, Joey!"  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
"Tristan," said Serenity as she sidled up to him, "It's so warm out. Want to help me with my diving?" This was the right button to push. Tristan adores helping Serenity in any way.  
  
Kaiba pulled Toria aside, muttering: "How did a small get-together turn into this huge party?" His eyes shifted back and forth from one kid to another. "I...don't like...people."  
  
Toria gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Seto, you need friends. No one can be locked up forever, alone. Please, just try it." She gave him a flirtatious grin. "I don't have to say 'please.' I could make you."  
  
He gave a dim smile, slow and hidden, before he said to her, "Ok, on one condition."  
  
She gave a sigh, but smiled. "What? I'm not being your maid again, Seto Kaiba, your house is too big a challenge. I feel bad for your regular maid."  
  
He beckoned her on. "Come here, I want to tell you." Toria gave him a suspicious glance. Blunt Kaiba was not one for innuendos.  
  
"How very out of character," she admitted. "Ok, fine." She fearlessly walked up to him.  
  
With a sudden shriek she found herself flying into the pool. There was a burst of appreciative laughter from the patio, and more laughter as Toria bobbed up from the bottom, her long hair mermaid-sleek, and reached for his ankle, pulling him in with her.  
  
The two rolled over each other, bobbing in the chlorine, kissing long and hard, as everyone oohed. And as Seto Kaiba floated in the pool he had never used, in his full dress, kissing and cradling a girl he had only met three days before but had dreamed of for more than a thousand years, he realized this was only the beginning of the life he should have led. He was free. And, whispered the hidden part of his mind that never spoke, so is she. He gaze deep into her purple eyes, seeing times long past and sands he had never seen but would always remember. And he knew that whatever had happened, this was new. This was just the beginning.  
  
* * *  
  
SQUEE! That was my first fic!!!! I would like to thank all my reviews, and all my friends who, to quote, said it was 'fucking awesome' (thanx Twigz and Share Bear!), and the fanfic authors who inspired me and didn't know it, mainly ariocthevagrant with his story 'The Orphan and the Dancer' which I reread when my story got dull for inspiration.  
  
Also: My new co-host is coming in time for 'Lost in Golden Sands' so...stick around to discover the real secret in the Seto/Toria relationship.  
  
This is Cassandra Chant, reminding you that there is always, somewhere, another rainbow.  
  
* * * 


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